This invention relates to the delivery of information from an information provider to an information seeker and more particularly to a system and method for allowing an information provider to find and provide information to information seekers.
Currently, when it is desired to watch a TV program, the viewer is at the mercy of the content providers as to what that viewer watches and at what time. This is changing now that digital recorders, such as the TIVO system from Philips, can record many hours of TV programs thereby allowing viewers to delay watching broadcasts for a period of time by recording such broadcasts for later viewing. Such systems also allow users to select programs to be aired in the future and to record the selected shows. These systems also allow users to select topics and the system selects the shows that match these selected topics. Such systems work well, but suffer from the fact that they also are dependent upon the preselection of content by the content provider. If a person desires to view a certain movie, (or to view, for example, a documentary on the life of George Washington) and if that desired movie (or documentary) was not scheduled for showing within a finite time in the future, the user is not be able to schedule it, except perhaps by broad topic types. In any event, the user cannot in any manner, cause movies, or programs, to be delivered which were not scheduled for delivery.
This same problem exists when users are trying to obtain information from the Internet. The user can only gain access to information if that information exists on the Internet at the time that the information is sought. However, even if the information existed on the Internet at that time, obtaining that information, even using the very sophisticated tools available today, is not trivial. For example, assume that a user desires to obtain tickets to see a certain play (or concert) or to see a certain performer when and if that play, concert or performer is next in town. Today, the user would access the Internet and look for the name of the play or the name of the performer. If there was a scheduled performance, the user might, depending upon his/her skill (and patience), find it. But if there was nothing scheduled (or contemplated) then the user would come away (usually after spending considerable time looking) with nothing.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a system and method which allows an information seeking individual to gather information even when that information is not currently available and to have that information delivered when it becomes available.
There is also a need in the art for a system and method which allows a user to schedule the delivery of desired information at controllable times in the future using media mutually agreed upon by the requesting and providing parties.
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by a system and method which allows the user to input to his/her own local device the information (or an abstract thereof) that he/she desires to be delivered. This information can be as simple or as complex as desired. What is important is that some other party can, from time to time, access the requested information and provide proper responses thereto.
The information, by way of example, can be the names of desired entertainment shows, or subjects, that could be delivered by way of video or live TV. The names, or abstracts, can be, by way of example, past TV shows or past TV subjects; names of biographies or travel documentaries, or they can be queries as to the dates that a certain play or performer will next be in town; or any other desired information. Thus, a person wishing to view on TV a series that aired months ago (or the first three programs of that series) will, in one embodiment, enter the desired requested information into his/her local storage medium. The storage mechanism could be a local recorder, such as the above-mentioned digital recorder, (or any other system), or it could be the user""s browser on the Internet. In the preferred embodiment the information is stored on the user""s local computer. In an alternate embodiment, the abstracted request is stored on one or more remote devices. The user would enter xe2x80x9cdeliver by TV over cable (or satellite, or any other desired medium)xe2x80x9d a program or programs pertaining to the life of xe2x80x9cGeorge Washingtonxe2x80x9d. This entry could, of course, be prompted by interactive prompts. If the user had more specific information on the desired program, the user could, if he/she desires, enter such additional details.
It is important to note that the requested information can be stored locally on a TV recorder or stored on a local computer or on any other device having memory capability. The storage medium that the user selects need not be the medium to where the information is to be returned. The user may specify the return medium or the information provider may, by the nature of the content that is to be delivered or otherwise, decide how best and when to deliver the information. The return information can actually arrive using multiple media either in whole or in part. For example, the provider may send a message (using the Internet to the user""s PC or perhaps a wireless connection to the user""s handheld device) indicating that a certain requested TV program will be available at a certain date on a particular channel. Then, at the proper time (or at a time negotiated between the provider and the requester) the desired information is delivered to the user over a medium different from the one used to verify or confirm the transaction, and perhaps even different from the medium over which the initial request was posted.
One important aspect of this invention is that the requested information is maintained in a location (whether local to the user or remote) such that it remains available for a period of time to anyone who is capable of providing the desired information which is controlled by the provider. Thus, instead of the user searching a massive data base (the web today) the burden falls on information providers to find those folks who need or want the information which is controlled by the provider. This system works particularly well for situations where the desired information pertains to future events, such as entertainment, or for complex situations where the user only has a vague understanding of what he/she desires. In this situation, the content owner knows much more about the subject, and, based on the abstract of the information posted, can provide the proper response.
Thus for vacation planning a person might type in the location desired and the time of year desired and request information on climate, hotel availability, restaurants, etc. This information then would be stored (either at the user""s location) or at a central site, and will be accessible for a period of time by anyone who believes they have the desired information. The return information can then be delivered without further action taken by the posting user. There could be an interactive exchange prior to downloading of the information. Today, this interaction is only possible if the user were to first go to a specific site to post his/her desired information.
The vacation planner instead of specifying the place could have entered parameters, such as time of year, climate, desired activities (beach, golfing, shopping, hiking, sailing, etc.,) and those locations desiring to supply information would then provide either the information or an abstract of the information, and the user (either live or via a filter program) would accept as much information as is desired.
In the context of entertainment, assume the user requested a TV program on George Washington. The requester could have specified a desired time frame or could have left it open ended. The user could also have specified the type of media over which the program was to be received or again, left it open ended. In any event, assume that a provider had the program or a series of programs pertaining to George Washington, and could deliver the content at a certain time. The provider would then notify the user that a two hour program on George Washington would be available, for example, on channel 87 at 2:00 p.m. Wed., three months hence. The user could accept this time and arrange for it to be recorded if he/she were not going to be available to watch it live. This recording could be by traditional VCR or by digital recording under processor control. In one embodiment, the recorder would be set and controlled by the provider.
Assuming that the user wanted the information sooner, one option would be to accept the information as a streamed video directly into the user""s computer for recording on a CD or other portable recording device at a mutually agreeable time. The content could, of course, be delivered in any manner agreed between the sender and the user.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.